Filing cabinet



July 11, 1933.

C. K. ROBERTSON FILING CABINET Filed Nov. 18, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES KELMAN ROBERTSON, F EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND FILING CABINET Application filed November 18, 1980, Serial No. 496,406, and in Great Britain May 24, 1880.

This invention relates to an improved cabinet for storing or filing cards and like sheets, the improved cabinet being particularly suitable for use where a large number of record cards require to be within the reach of the operator or entry clerk, in order that entries may be made upon any record card without loss of time. The entries are usually made by the use of an accounting machine or 0 typewriter and it is desirable that the operator should have every record card within easy reach while remaining seated at the accounting machine or typewriter.

The improved filing cabinet comprises a skeleton rectangular framework, preferably enclosed to form a hollow case or cabinet of substantial height (say 7 feet 6 inches). Mounted within the cabinet or skeleton framework is an endless conveyor which passes around suitable guide pulleys, so ar ranged that the conveyor travels over part of its length in a vertical direction parallel to the front of the cabinet, which may be provided with a door at a convenient height to enable the operator to obtain access to the interior of the cabinet while the operator remains seated. The conveyor supports a plurality of card carriers swivel-mounted upon the conveyor, so that the card carriers always remain in an upright position. By this construction, any one of the card carriers can-be brought into a position at the. front of the cabinet where the operator may obtain access to the cards through the open door.

The endless conveyor and carriers are preferably so mounted and arranged that the conveyor is selflbalancing in any position; thus the operator can readily move the conveyor in order to bring any desired card carrier into position for access', by imparting movement to the conveyor through the open door.

A friction brake operated by a foot or hand lever is preferably fitted to the conveyor to enable movement of the conveyor to be controlled and thus enable any desired card carrier to be arrested in a conveniently accessible position for withdrawing or inserting the cards, and the card carriers may be provided with a guide pin which engages a vertical guide channel so as to prevent the card carriers from swinging within the cabinet.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference is hereinafter made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one construction of the invention.

Fig. l is a perspective view of the cabinet with the door open.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the cabinet with the upper part of the side wall removed.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the cabinet, and Fig. 4 is a plan view with the top removed.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of one of the card carrier trays pivoted to the conveyor.

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view showing the guide and guide pin for preventing the trays from swinging.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the friction brake.

As shown in the drawings, the cabinet comprises a skeleton framework consisting of four upright corner posts 1 which are connected together in pairs by two base bars 2 and by two bars 3 near the top of the frame and the frames thus provided are enclosed by outer walls of steel or wood forming a hollow case or cabinet. A door 4 is formed in the front wall 5 of the cabinet, being connected to the cabinet by hinges 6 and secured in closed position by means of suitable fasteners, such as rotatable catches 7 fitted on the upper portion of the front wall 5. The door, when open, is held in a horizontal position to form a rest or table by means of chains or cords 8 attached at one end to the door and at the other end to the cabinet. A handle 9 is fitted to the front of the cabinet so that it may be moved to any required position, the cabinet being mounted on small rollers or wheels 11 mounted on axles 10 secured to the bottom of the cabinet.

Within the cabinet is mounted a conveyor consisting of a pair of endless belts or chains 12, each of which passes over one or more upper guide pulleys 13 and one or more slower guide pulleys 14. As shown, four hpper pulleys are arranged near the upper corners of the cabinet and four lower pul- 100 leys are arranged near the lower corners of the cabinet.

The upper guide pulleys 13 may be mounted in suitable bearings 19 u on the top bars 3 and the lower guide pu leys 14 may be mounted in similar bearings upon bars 15 fitted between the corner posts 1, at each side of the cabinet and at a suitable distance from the bottom of the cabinet.

Pivotally suspended between the belts or chains 12 are card carriers 16 adapted to removably receive the usual card trays or boxes 17 containing the record cards 18. The card trays 17 may be fitted with handles 17a at the front so that they can be grasped by the operator to enable the operator to move the conveyor and to remove the trays from the cabinet.

The card carriers 16 may, as shown, consist of a flat bottom or tray 16a (Fig. 5) having two inverted V-shaped sides 16?) which are provided at their upper ends with pivot pins 20 adapted to engage the endless belts or bands 12. A flanged edge 160 on the flat bottom 16a keeps the tray 17 in position on the supporting bottom 16a and is of such a height that the tray can be easily lifted out.

To prevent the front card carriers swing ing against the front of the cabinet, a vertical guide 23 of channel form is positioned atone side of the conveyor, being connected to the corner bars 1 by brackets 24. Projecting pins 25 secured to the sides of the card carrlers engage the channel in the guide 23. The pins 25 may be provided with rollers 26 to make a smooth contact with the guide 23.

A friction brake, comprising two hinged jaws 27, held in frictional contact with a cylindrical boss 28 on the spindle 33 of one of the conveyor gui e pulleys by means of a spring 29 fitted on a rod 30 connecting the two hinged jaws 27, may be fitted to hold the conveyor stationary. The brake is released by means of a pedal 31 attached to one arm of a bell-crank 34 pivoted at 35, the other arm of the bell-crank being connected by means of rods 36 to a cam 32 fitted in a recess between the two hinged jaws 27. When the pedal 31 is depressed, the cam 32 forces the jaws apart and so disengages them from the boss 28 on the spindle of the guide pulley, thus releasing the conveyor, and enabling the operator to bring any desired card carrier in front of the door 4, whereupon'the pedal 31 can be released to cause the jaws 27 to arrest further movement of the conveyor.

I claim:

1. A filing cabinet comprising a skeleton rectangular framework, an endless conveyor mounted within said framework and adapted to travel over part of its length in a vertical direction parallel to the front of mounted within said framework the cabinet, a plurality of card carriers, means connecting said card carriers to said conveyor at intervals therealong and permitting said carriers to remain a ways in an upright position and mechanism for releasa ly locking said conveyor in desired position, said mechanism comprising a friction brake on the conveyor, and means for actuating and releasing the brake.

2. A filing cabinet comprising a framework, an endless conveyor within said framework, guide pulleys supporting said conveyor and so arranged that said conveyor is self-balanced in any position and travels over part of its length in a vertical direction parallel to the front of the cabinet, a plurality of card carriers suspendedfrom said conveyor so as to remain always in an up right position, said carriers being attached at uniform intervals to said conveyor so that the come or and carriers are self-balanced and sel -sustained in any position of rest, and mechanism for releasably locking said conveyor in desired position, said mechanism comprising a cylindrical friction element rotatable with one of the guide pulleys, hinged jaws embracing said element, spring means for contracting said jaws, a cam device for spreading the jaws, and a lever connected to said cam device for operating said cam.

3. A filing cabinet comprising a casing, a pair of spaced endless members-upper guide pulleys and lower guide pulleys for each endless member, shafting for said pulleys, the upper pulleys being mounted in the upper part and the lower pulleys in the lower part of said casing, card carriers pivotally suspended between said endless members, and a manually operated stop mechanism engageable with the shafting of said lower guide pulleys, said stop mechanism including a cylindrical friction element rotatable with one of the guide pulleys, a brake cooperating with said friction element, and a pedal outside said casing and operatively connected to said brake.

4. A filing cabinet comprising a skeleton rectangular framework, an endless conveyor and adapted to travel over part of its length in a vertical direction parallel to the front of the cabinet, a plurality of card carriers, means connecting said card carriers to said conveyor at intervals therealong and permitting said carriers to remain always in an upright position and mechanism for releasably locking said conveyor in desired position, said mechanism comprising a friction brake on the conveyor, and means for actuating and releasing the brake, said filing cabinet having a short upstanding flange across the front of each tray for positioning a card carrier thereon- 5. A filing cabinet comprising a skeleton rectangular framework, an endless conveyor mounted within said framework and adapted to travel over part of its length in a vertical direction parallel to the front of the cabinet, a plurality of card carriers, means connecting said card carriers to said conveyor at intervals therealong and permitting said carriers to remain always in an upright position and mechanism for releasably locking said conveyor in desired position, said mechanism comprising a friction brake on the conveyor, andmeans for actuating and releasing the brake, said filing cabinet having a vertical guide positioned at one side of the vertical front run of the conveyor, and means on said card carriers engageable with and disengageable from said guide during movement of said card carriers over the vertical front run.

6. A filing cabinet comprising a casing, a skeleton framework therein, a door adapted to close an opening at the front of the casing, an endless conveyor mounted within said framework and adapted to travel over part of its length in a direction parallel to the front of the cabinet, a plurality of card carriers, means connecting said card carriers to said conveyor at intervals therealong and permitting said carriers to remain always in an upright position and mechanism for releasably locking said conveyor in desired position, said mechanism comprising a brake on the conveyor, and means for actuating and releasing the brake.

7. A filing cabinet comprising a skeleton framework, an endless conveyor mounted within said framework to travel over part of its length in a direction parallel to the front of the cabinet, a plurality of removable card containers, a plurality of card container carriers, each of said carriers consisting of a flat tra with upstanding sides adapted to remova ly receive a card container, means connecting said card carriers to said conveyor at intervals therealong and permitting said carriers to remain always in an upright position and mechanism for releasably locking said conveyor in desired position, said mechanism comprising a brake on the conveyor, and means for actuating and releasing the brake.

8. A filing cabinet comprising a casing, a skeleton framework therein, a. door adapted to close an opening at the front of the casing and arranged to serve as a table when open, an endless conveyor mounted within said framework and adapted to travel over part of its length in a direction arallel to the front of the cabinet, a lura ity of removable card containers, a p urality of card container carriers, each of said carriers consisting of a flat tra with upstanding sides adapted to remova ly receive a card container, each tray having a short upstanding flange across the front thereof for positioning a card container thereon, means connecting said card carriers to said conveyor at intervals therealon and permitting said carriers to remain a ways in an upright position and mechanism for releasably locking said conveyor in desired position, said mechanism comprising a brake on the conveyor, and means for actuating and releasing the brake.

Signed at Edinburgh, in the county of Edinburgh, Scotland, this twenty-third day of October A. D. 1930.

CHARLES KELMAN ROBERTSON. 

